Have you ever thought about how pollinators impact Baldwin County's ecosystem?

Orange Beach Coastal Resources is taking part in "No Mow March" for the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail. Residents and guests are being told "don't mind the weeds, we're feeding the bees."

Brad Johnson, recreation facility maintenance coordinator with Orange Beach Coastal Resources, said the program is internationally known as "No Mow May" but that "it wouldn't do us any good" not mowing in May because spring in Baldwin County starts a bit earlier, so the program was tweaked, and No Mow March was created about three or four years ago to help feed local pollinators.

Can you imagine how the world would look without pollinators? If you can't, Johnson recommended watching "The Bee Movie" to see how it turns out.

A major difference can be seen on the trails with the no-mow practice, he said.

"You could not cut right now and in two weeks you would be amazed," he said. "And I'm not talking like planted flowers; I'm talking native weeds — or what we would consider weeds — but the bees don't care. Anything with pollen and nectar, man, that's all they care about."

Johnson said a study from NASA estimated 40-45 million acres are dedicated to lawn space, making lawns one of the most irrigated crops in the United States.

Carmen Flammini, home horticulture team agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said, "All these beautiful lawns are pretty much desert to [the pollinators.] It's not efficient."

If everyone in the country left 10% of their yards wild, even for just a month at the beginning of spring, the change would be significant, Johnson said.

For places with HOAs that enforce mowing, asking for just the month of March off for the pollinators would "100%" make a difference. Even practicing a "low mow," leaving 3-4 inches of grass, could improve conditions.

"Anybody can do it, and anybody can start it," he said. "I tell you, it makes a world of difference. … All this is doing is just giving the pollinators that first month of pollen and nectar, so it's just kind of kickstarting their summer process."

Johnson and Flammini both said many bugs and animals might still be hibernating underground or under leaf piles, so in addition to providing the first meal of spring to a lot of pollinators, No Mow March allows many creatures to fully wake up before you mow.

There could be around 2,600 different insect species in your yard daily, Johnson said. Flammini said there are over 150 butterfly species in the state of Alabama alone.

PLANTING FOR LOCAL, NATIVE SPECIES

Pollinators are anything that moves pollen from a male part of a plant to the female part of the plant; plants cannot pollenate themselves. Pollinators can be a variety of insects — including but not limited to bees, butterflies, beetles, ants, wasps, moths and flies — or animals such as hummingbirds, bats or mice and even humans when manual pollination is necessary.

According to Flammini, typical pollinators can be seen in Baldwin County from spring to fall, with a peak in action seen from August to November for butterflies.

Because of this, those who are considering making a pollinator garden should make sure they have plants for pollinators nearly year-round.

Flammini also said for those creating a garden to ensure they plant the proper plants. Some plants serve as food or nectar sources for pollinators, some serve as a shelter or host plants, and some serve as both nectar and host plants.

Different plants also attract different pollinators, so if you want to attract a specific type of butterfly, make sure you plant their favorite and not a wasps'.

Many wild, native plants are perfect for pollinators, hence why No Mow March is great for that first bit of spring.

Another tip for those considering a pollinator garden: ensure you have areas in the shade and a water source. Flammini said most insects cannot fly when the temperature is 90 degrees, which Baldwin County summers are known to reach if not exceed.

"People think because they are insects, pollinators have super incredible features, but they get thirsty like everyone else," she said, "and they also need cool water to drink."

Flammini recommended checking out the Alabama Extension Office website's section on pollinators for specifics on which pollinators like which plants.

She and Johnson both recommended checking out local plant nurseries and asking about native plants suitable for pollinators. Johnson said often this saves money as native plants don't freeze and die to be replaced each year.

"If you plant local, native stuff, it's still as pretty and then it comes back," he said.

Orange Beach Coastal Resources used to use pretty, non-native flowers for their butterfly garden, which looked good but had to be replaced yearly. After they "got more into pollinators," they started working with local plant nurseries to use local perennials.

Johnson said he encourages everyone to give it a shot and keep a small area of your yard wild and uncut or even create your own pollinator garden using locally grown or native plants.

He gave out a warning though: once you start, it's hard to go back to the old ways.

"Because once you start noticing you save the time, you save the effort, you save the money, and to be honest with you, you feel good about it, too," he said. "We all want to try to make the world a better place for the next generation, and if everybody does a little step, think about how big that step gets."